Almost 30 foreign companies eye to demine Ukraine

The Ukrainian State Emergency Service has already recommended eight foreign companies to join the humanitarian demining process in Ukraine, and 20 more have expressed a desire to work in this area.

Director of the Civil Protection Measures Department of Ukraine's State Emergency Service Viktor Vitovetskyi made the remarks in an interview with Ukrainian TV channels, Ukrinform reports.

"The Danish Refugee Council, as well as the Halo Trust company, are carefully working on mine clearance issue. Eight companies and legal entities, both from Europe and the US, have already applied to the State Emergency Service and received recommendations to join this humanitarian demining process. Some 20 more organisations expressed desire to work in this sphere," Vitovetskyi told.

He also reminded that about 300,000 hectares of Ukrainian territories were full of explosives as of April 1, 2022.

"Having mobilised the efforts of the State Emergency Service and other organisations involved in demining process, as well as international partners, more than 60,000 hectares have already been cleared of mines. The work is being intensively conducted in this sphere. However, we should understand that this work will continue for years," he noted.

The representative of the State Emergency Service reminded about the recommendations for citizens if they find an explosive object. In particular, the State Emergency Service first of all advises people not to touch such items.

"Secondly, it is necessary to try to designate this territory to prevent our citizens to approach this area. Then it is required to move back to a safe distance for the signal from mobile devices not to initiate this explosive object. It is required to dial 101 or 102 to call a group of sappers," he said.